ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Police used tear gas and batons yesterday to disperse lawyers protesting legal rulings that clear the way for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to run for another five-year term.

A day after the Supreme Court dismissed several petitions challenging Musharraf's bid for re-election, the Election Commission approved his candidacy yesterday in a ruling expected to be challenged.

Police first tried to disperse the lawyers, then turned on journalists covering the chaotic clashes. Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim was caught up in the melee, receiving a few punches from protesters before being bundled into a car by aides and driven away.

More legal maneuvers are expected from the opposition – a request for the Supreme Court to review its decision and a planned mass resignation from Parliament for the Oct. 6 vote by federal and provincial lawmakers.

Despite dwindling popularity and increasingly bitter opposition, Musharraf, a close U.S. ally, seems set to win the election. The ruling coalition says it has the numbers it needs, and even the general's main challenger, retired Judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, has admitted he has little chance.

The Election Commission approved six of the 43 candidates, including Ahmed, who was nominated by lawyers, and Makhdoom Amin Fahim, vice chairman of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. Fahim's party earlier said he would run only if Musharraf were disqualified.

The opposition alliance has said its lawmakers would quit Parliament on Tuesday to protest the general's candidacy, a move also aimed at depriving the election of legitimacy.

Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has pledged to give up his powerful post as army chief if he wins the election. He also says he will restore civilian rule in a country that has lurched between unstable elected governments and military regimes during its 60-year history.

Musharraf has faced growing opposition since his failed attempt to oust Pakistan's top judge in March. He also is struggling to contain growing Islamic militancy and growing public sentiment that his alliance with Washington has fanned extremism.